Nebraska Winters
- Thread starter Lynette
- Start date
akjimny
Senior Member
Like Steve said - heat tape and insulation on the water hose and sewer hose and I would add some on the holding tanks. I would also skirt the trailer. If this is just a temporary situation, I would use hay bales tucked all around the bottom and build something to go under the 5th wheel hitch. Anything to keep the cold breezes from blowing under the trailer.
Triple E
Senior Member
akjimny;74828 said:Like Steve said - heat tape and insulation on the water hose and sewer hose and I would add some on the holding tanks. I would also skirt the trailer. If this is just a temporary situation, I would use hay bales tucked all around the bottom and build something to go under the 5th wheel hitch. Anything to keep the cold breezes from blowing under the trailer.
Thanks for adding that about the skirt. I forgot that part. My holding tanks where heated so that was not a problem, thank the Lord. :triumphant:
One more thing I forgot. Only dump the tanks when needed. Do not leave the dump valves open.
All good info the folks have posted. I spent one winter in Fort Leavenworth KS (No not at the DB or the Fed Pen) while attending CGSC and did as posted but without the hay skirting. There was actually 5 other students doing like myself (staying in RV's) for the year in purgatory. 2 Navy like myself, 1 Marine, 1 AF and 1 Army.
One thing I noticed is that most of my drafts were around the entry door on my M/H. Not sure what it will be like in your unit. Course once leveled you are out of air so step cover was no good. Fashioned a piece of cardboard to cover the steps and that cut down drafts. Easy to move when needed.
Another thing you may notice is humidity in your unit. Pay attention to back walls of cupboards and closets. If you get a moisture buildup open the cuboards and closet doors to allow air to circulate.
My tanks and bays were heated but I also hung an incandesant work light in the water bay.
My M/H has two furnaces. The front of the M/H with the huge windshield was always colder than the the rear. I was able to close two pocket doors one leading to the bedroom and one just aft of the fridge which to me seemed to help in the furnaces not running as much and keeping the mid and rear sections of the M/H warmer on the real cold and windy nights.
Like Steve said keep your eye on propane consumption. Luckily where I was staying the propane guy came around every 3 to 4 days.
Jeff
One thing I noticed is that most of my drafts were around the entry door on my M/H. Not sure what it will be like in your unit. Course once leveled you are out of air so step cover was no good. Fashioned a piece of cardboard to cover the steps and that cut down drafts. Easy to move when needed.
Another thing you may notice is humidity in your unit. Pay attention to back walls of cupboards and closets. If you get a moisture buildup open the cuboards and closet doors to allow air to circulate.
My tanks and bays were heated but I also hung an incandesant work light in the water bay.
My M/H has two furnaces. The front of the M/H with the huge windshield was always colder than the the rear. I was able to close two pocket doors one leading to the bedroom and one just aft of the fridge which to me seemed to help in the furnaces not running as much and keeping the mid and rear sections of the M/H warmer on the real cold and windy nights.
Like Steve said keep your eye on propane consumption. Luckily where I was staying the propane guy came around every 3 to 4 days.
Jeff
Kirk
Senior Member
Good advice thus far but I'll offer a little bit more. You may want to see about renting a larger propane tank and connect to that with a "keep full" service as you will use a lot of it. Even the best RV is not nearly as tight as a house and so requires more heat for it's size.
Another thing to keep in mind is that an RV refrigerator will stop working if it gets too cold for the refrigerant to get up to boiling with the heat from the electric or propane heat source. If it gets down into the 0 degree range you should plan to block about half of the ventilation holes in the outside access cover to it, starting with the bottom ones. In addition, put a light inside as a 60 watt bulb will go a long way to help keep things working.
Another thing to keep in mind is that an RV refrigerator will stop working if it gets too cold for the refrigerant to get up to boiling with the heat from the electric or propane heat source. If it gets down into the 0 degree range you should plan to block about half of the ventilation holes in the outside access cover to it, starting with the bottom ones. In addition, put a light inside as a 60 watt bulb will go a long way to help keep things working.